Sheriff: Roseburg man neglected 68 cats

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ROSEBURG, Ore. -- The Douglas County Sheriff's Office says a Roseburg man is behind bars, after they seized 68 cats from his property.

Authorities say they served a search warrant on Thursday at the home of Peter Rudolf Rubin, 74, who lives in the 100 block of Scofield Road.

A Douglas County Animal Control deputy and patrol deputies served the warrant at 10:00 a.m., and say they found many of the animals suffering from medical problems.

Authorities say several of the cats had respiratory problems and eyes that were matted shut.

Officials say that the inside of the residence contained so much cat urine and feces that it was unsafe for the animals to live there.

Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Dwes Hutson told KPIC News that the home was pretty bad off. "As you can imagine, if you had 68 cats in your house, it's pretty filthy. It's pretty graphic, there's feces and urine everywhere," he said.

Officials say that they had tried to work with Rubin to bring him into compliance, but say it just didn't happen. "We contacted him, made a plan on how he can come into compliance, and he's just not following through," said Hutson.

Rubin was taken into custody and lodged in the Douglas County Jail on first and second degree animal neglect charges. His bail is set at $8,750.

The cats were taken to Saving Grace, where they will be evaluated and given medical care.